Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A graphics processing subsystem configured to render a scene, comprising: a left eye viewpoint frame buffer and a right eye viewpoint frame buffer configured to contain respective pixel-wise rendered scene data for left eye viewpoint and right eye viewpoint stereo images; and a sharing decision circuit operable to determine when to employ a combination of geometric data of a pixel contained in said left eye viewpoint frame buffer and geometric data of said pixel contained in said right eye viewpoint frame buffer for carrying out screen-space effect processes on said pixel to render said scene in both said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint stereo images.
2. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 1 wherein said left eye viewpoint frame buffer and said right eye viewpoint frame buffer are configured to contain depth-of-field data of said scene.
3. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 1 wherein said sharing decision circuit is configured to determine when to employ said geometric data by testing for per-pixel ambiguities between said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint frame buffers.
4. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 1 wherein said graphics processing subsystem further comprises a screen-space sampling circuit operable to sample both of said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint frame buffers for carrying out said screen-space effect process for each one of said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint stereo images.
5. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 4 wherein said sharing decision circuit is configured to share a percentage of screen-space samples generated by said screen-space sampling circuit between said screen-space effect processes for said each of said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint stereo images.
6. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 5 wherein said percentage of screen-space samples is stochastically determined.
7. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 1 wherein said screen-space effect processes are ambient occlusion processes.
8. A method of rendering a screen-space effect, comprising: rasterizing scene geometry data into left eye viewpoint and right eye viewpoint frame buffers representing stereoscopic images of said scene geometry; and employing said scene geometry data contained in both said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint frame buffers in rendering a screen-space effect on a pixel in each one of said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint frame buffers.
9. The method recited in claim 8 wherein said stereoscopic images are left eye and right eye images.
10. The method recited in claim 8 further comprising testing for ambiguities between said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint frame buffers before carrying out said employing.
11. The method recited in claim 8 wherein said employing includes taking screen-space samples from said left eye viewpoint and said right eye viewpoint frame buffers about said pixel.
12. The method recited in claim 11 wherein said taking comprises taking a stochastically determined percentage of said screen-space samples.
13. The method recited in claim 8 wherein said screen-space effect is ambient illumination.
14. The method recited in claim 8 wherein said scene geometry data comprises depth-of-field data.
15. A graphics processing subsystem configured to render a scene in stereo, comprising: left eye and right eye frame buffers configured to contain respective pixel-wise rendered scene data for left eye and right eye images; a sharing decision circuit operable to direct a sharing of geometric data of a pixel in said left eye frame buffer and geometric data of said pixel in said right eye frame buffer; and a screen-space resolver circuit operable to employ said geometric data in both said left eye frame buffer and said right eye frame buffer to carry out screen-space effect processes for said pixel for each of said left eye and right eye images.
16. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 15 wherein said left eye and right eye frame buffers are configured to contain depth-of-field data of said scene.
17. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 15 wherein said sharing decision circuit is configured to test for per-pixel ambiguities between said left eye and right eye frame buffers.
18. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 15 wherein said screen-space resolver circuit comprises a screen-space sampling circuit operable to generate samples of said left eye and right eye frame buffers according to said sharing.
19. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 18 wherein said sharing decision circuit is configured to share a fixed percentage of samples generated by said screen-space sampling circuit between said screen-space effect processes for each of said left eye and right eye images.
20. The graphics processing subsystem recited in claim 15 wherein said screen-space effect processes are ambient occlusion processes.
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June 6, 2017
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